Thief or Virtue
by Daedra-Hearts
Summary: Alvin was a thief who had been wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, things become even more complicated when the Emperor comes through his cell to escape from Assassin. But can he really fufill his destiny?  My first fanfiction
1. Chapter 1

It certainly wasn't my first time in the Imperial City Prison, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, I had already become somewhat of a regular. My usual cell had faded old scribbles carved into the stone walls with some loose rocks that were scattered about, last month during my week stay I tried to make a dragon, though no one but myself would see it as a dragon due to my lack of artistic talent.

Today, I was not in my regular cell, my home away from home. My home being a small, filthy run down shack I shared with three other men in the Waterfront District, the poorest district often considered a blight upon the beauty of the rest of the ancient city. Now what petty crime did I commit to earn myself a new suite you may ask? Did I steal bread from the market stalls again to avoid hunger pains? No. Did I pick the pocket of some unsuspecting tourist who was far too busy admiring the various buildings and the White-Gold tower? Not this time. Surely I must have broke into the house of some fancy, too-rich-to-notice-a few-coins-missing citizen residing in the Temple District, right? Wrong once more. This time, surprisingly, I did not break the law.

I was sick most of the week and had just today been feeling well enough to get out of bed and get some fresh air without feeling faint, I was minding my own business in the Waterfront District when I was approached by my arch nemesis: Hieronymus Lex. He is one of many Imperial Watch Captains that patrol about the city, and he loves to stalk about the slums of the Waterfront, waiting for just the right moment to pounce on "criminal scum" such as myself. He was well aware of my thievery and had caught me red-handed many times in the past, and today he approached me and arrested me on the spot. He claimed to have seen me pick someone's pocket just moments prior, which I did not, although I did bump into a sailor by accident as I had rounded a corner. Regardless of what I said, I was still cuffed and hauled away, paraded through the stone streets as I had been many times before.

"You know Alvin, I'd be willing to pardon you for this theft in exchange for any information you have about the Gray Fox and the Thieves Guild." Captain Lex offered. I kept my mouth shut, I knew he wouldn't keep his end of the deal, and I wouldn't dare hurt the closest thing I had to family either. He wasn't at all happy about it, but then again when was the man ever happy?

Back to the present, I was pressed up against the bars of my cell and looking into the face of another Dunmer behind bars in the cell across from me. The frail older Dunmer's eyes were filled with hunger, and his tongue wagged nonstop as he tormented me. "Ugly". "Daedric eyes". "Dying alone in a prison cell". He kept going and going, ignoring my ignoring him, clearing loving the sound of his own voice echoing in the empty hall between us. His insults were nothing new to me, not many Dunmer had white hair as I did and some saw it as a defect. Another defect was the color of my eyes, they were black as coal rather than the usual crimson that all other Dunmer had. Sometimes my mind wandered to thoughts of my parents, I wonder if they had these same characteristics.

"You're going to die in here! Hahahaha!" He loudly cackled as I went to go sit on my hay pile of a bed, I grabbed a small stone from the ground near me and began to carve into the stone walls. Today's drawing was going to be the other Dunmer being struck by lightning as soon as he was released from prison like he said he was going to be.

"Hear that? The guards are coming... for you!" He called out once more. My pointed ears perked up in interest as there was indeed someone coming down the hall, and I could faintly hear inaudible whispers and mumbles. I looked towards the cell door to see that there was now a group of people clad in strange armor standing there looking at me, and they did not look happy.

"What is this prisoner doing here? This cell is supposed to be off limits". Barked a shrill female voice belonging to one of the strangers.

"Mixup with the watch? I... uh..." A man replied nervously.

"Never mind, get that gate open." She ordered, then she looked me in the eyes from under her helmet and ordered me to stand under the small barred window that was near the ceiling. I obliged, biting my bottom lip slightly in fear as my stomach began to do backflips. The three armor clad soldiers entered my small cell, and with them was an elderly Imperial man with thinning white hair clad in purple robes with red silken clothing underneath. The clothes he wore didn't matter much to me, instead it was the large rock he wore around his neck that earned my rapt attention. It was a large red diamond shaped gem in the middle of a gold amulet, and was surround by nine tiny gems of various colors on each side.

"Stay back prisoner, we won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way." The woman threatened, as if she knew that I was thinking about swiping that prize.

"No sign of pursuit." The third man reported. I snapped out of my greed induced trance long enough to become puzzled by his statement. Pursuit? What was after them? What the heck's going on here?

"You... I've seen you. Please, step into the light, let me see your face." The Elderly nobleman beckoned as he motioned for me to step forward, I stepped directly into the sunlight that shone in to satisfy him. He was silent for a moment, clearly taking in all of my features, perhaps memorizing them. My pale bluish-grey skin, my short shaggy white hair kept in place by my ragged headband, my hooked nose, and of course, my black eyes.

"You are the one from my dreams... then the stars were right. Gods give me strength." He said simply, but seriously and with a hint of sorrow.

"Your... dreams? Huh? Who are you?" I asked with obvious distaste.

"I am your Emperor, Uriel Septim VII. Assassins killed my sons and I am next..."

"Sire, please, we must keep moving." The female bodyguard said impatiently. The woman pressed a secret stone button on the farthest wall, directly to my right, and instantly the walls and floors connected to the panel began to shift to reveal an ancient corridor. The musty smell of dust and decay was overwhelming to the point that my eyes began to water and I coughed slightly, the Emperor covered his nose slightly too.

"Let's go." She ordered, and the group began to decsend the staircase down into the secret corridor.

"Come with us, I will try to explain more as we go." The Emperor called out to me, and I cautiously began to follow.

"Looks like this is your lucky day, just stay out of our way." One bodyguard said, he was a Redguard and younger than the other two that he worked with. He also seemed friendlier, he even smiled as he stated the warning. I kept my distance as the Redguard fellow on the end instructed, though he didn't need to tell me twice. I had no idea where we were going, but I assumed that it would be safe and it would lead out of the prison, and since the Emperor told me to come with him that counted as a pardon right? I couldn't wait to tell my friends once I got home, I'm sure that Methredel would be impressed.

When we came to one room we were attacked by these assassins that the Emperor and his bodyguards spoke of earlier. They emerged from their hiding places in the various shadowy crevices of the ancient ayleid ruins, determined to end the life of the most powerful man in all of Tamriel.

They were armed with jagged ebony daggers with crimson accents, they had matching ebony armor which they wore over their crimson armor, and concealed their identities with black masks. They lunged forth with their daggers, but the bodyguards were quicker and engaged in battle with them.

"Quickly, into the corner." The Emperor ordered, who now had a large gleaming silver blade drawn. I backed up into the corner with my fists raised, I readied myself in case the guards failed and I had to defend myself next. Uriel stood in front of me, defending me from any harm should it come our way, and at the time it did puzzle me a little but there was no time to ask why he would protect me. Shouldn't it have been the other way around?

"Sire, are you alright?" We're safe for now."

"Glenroy, What of Captain Renault?"

"She is dead. I'm sorry sire but we must keep moving before more show up."

Uriel nodded silently and we moved to the other side of the room where Glenroy, now in charge, unlocked an old rusted gate in front of an equally old door.

"You stay here prisoner, don't try to follow us." Glenroy said angrily as he shut the gate and locked it behind them. They disappeared through the door and I found myself all alone in the ancient ayleid room, now more of a tomb since the bodies of the assassins and the previous captain littered the floor.

I tried my best not to look at them, though it wasn't the first time I had seen a corpse I still was squeamish and sick to my stomach every time. The first time was when a rowdy pirate began to assault a woman in the streets because she refused to sleep with him, I was only sixteen years old at the time, the guards pounced on him and tried to make an arrest but he resisted. Within a few minutes he was dead, arrows embedded in his sides and back and a large gash across his stomach, they collected the body an hour later. As for the girl, she was new to the Waterfront and was around the same age as me, her name was Methredel. I was one of the few people who comforted her when she returned, having shared food with her and gave her my old handkerchief when she began to cry, we have been inseparable ever since then.

My memories were interrupted by strange sounds coming from the wall I had chosen to lean against as I rested on the ground, I got to my feet quickly to see the stones were moving. I could hear squeaking and scratching now more clearly now as stones began to be forced from the wall, I quickly grabbed one of the ebony daggers from one of the bodies near by and raised it in defense. I did so just in time, two large rats burst through the weakened wall and charged for me, I took them down with minimal trouble and luckily I was not bit in the process.

For the next half hour I wandered through the ancient musty corridors, fighting rats, goblins and even a zombie with the weapons and armor I had found along the way. Some iron arrows, an iron dagger as well as the ebony one, a hunting bow and some iron armor, all of which was in very good condition which made me wonder how long it really had been down there. As I rounded a corner I found a hole leading from the catacombs within the walls to another aylied room, similar to the one Emperor and his guards left me in. Speak of the daedra, they were there. Glenroy and Baurus having just finished fighting off some assassins, and the Emperor resting on the stairs trying to catch his breath.

"Have you seen the prisoner?" Uriel Septim asked with concern.

"He couldn't have possibly followed us, could he?" Baurus pondered.

"I'm up here!" I called out from the ledge I was perched upon, it wasn't too high and I was able to climb down safely.

"Kill him! He may be working with the assassins!" Glenroy barked to the younger bodyguard as he drew his sword from it's sheath.

"No, he is not one of them. We can trust him. He can help us, he must help us." The kindly old Emperor commanded as he stood up. "Come closer, I'd prefer to not have to shout."

I obliged him and approached, and I could feel Glenroy's glare the whole time. The Emperor began to explain to me, the best that he could, about how he had served the Nine Divines all his life and how he had charted his course by the cycles of the heavens.

"I can't help but wonder, what sign marked your birth?"

"The Lover." I replied.

"The signs I read show my death, a necessary end, and it shall soon come."

"Aren't you afraid to die?"

"No," Uriel said simply, "I have lived well. I am blessed to know the hour of my demise, I have accepted this fact and I am prepared for what will come. Now come, we must continue our journey." He turned to Glenroy and gave him a nod, and he led the way with the Emperor behind him.

"Might as well make yourself useful while you're with us, take this torch." Baurus said.

We continued through a few more corridors, the way lit by the torch I begrudgingly carried, and when we came to another room the Emperor said we were almost there. I felt relieved, I wanted nothing more than to fill my lungs with fresh air.

"The gate is locked! It's a trap!" Glenroy shouted when our escape route failed.

"What about that side passage over there?" Baurus suggested.

"Worth a try."

The side passage was just a small room, a safe location to defend the Emperor until help arrived the bodyguards decided. How wrong they were.

"They're behind us! Wait here sire!" Glenroy said before charging out of the room with his katana raised.

"Stay here with the Emperor, guard him with your life!" Baurus ordered me before following after him. The clangs of metal and grunts pain could be heard from outside our safe room, and I grew nervous. What if the guards are outnumbered and those bastards kill both the emperor and I? Speaking of the Emperor, I turned to him and saw him taking off his large amulet.

"Here, take the amulet. Give it to Jauffree, he alone knows where to find my heir. Find him and close shut the jaws of oblivion." Uriel said quickly as he shoved the amulet into my hands, and before I could ask questions or even change my expression to that of confusion a secret door behind the Emperor opened up and an assassin charged out with dagger drawn.


	2. Chapter 2

He was dead. Lying on his back motionlessly as his still warm blood began to pool around him, ruining his royal robes and dying his white hair crimson. Baurus stood over him, having charged back into the room in time to save me from the assassin, but not Uriel. The Emperor of Tamriel was dead, at the time I had no idea how serious the situation really was, all I felt was guilt.

Baurus turned to me finally, I was leaning against a wall for support as my legs wobbled beneath me. My hands were firmly clenched around the Amulet of Kings as I clutched it to my chest, the pain of the metal and gem digging into the flesh of my palms and fingers the only other feeling that rivaled my guilt. There was a third feeling as well though it was not as strong, disgust, I felt some of the Emperor's blood splash onto my face as the murder took place.

"Talos save us." The royal guard muttered in defeat as he looked upon his majesty once more. "The amulet, where is it?"

"He gave it to me... Before... And he said to go to Jauffre, he said he knows where the heir is." I answered just louder than a whisper.

"He said that? Really?" I nodded. "He did see something in you that we didn't. If he trusted you... I think I can too. Jauffre is the grandmaster of the Blades, the Emperor's bodyguards, he and the Emperor were very close friends and I'm sure that he does know something about this heir. He lives at Weynon Priory south of Chorrol, right outside the gates, I need you to take the amulet to him. He'll know what to do next. I have to wait here until back up arrives to claim the Emperor's body. Can I count on you to do this?"

I wanted to say no, I still occassionally wonder what would have happened if I had said no, but I knew that I couldn't. I felt as though I owed the Emperor this last favor for failing him, though I knew my guilt was nothing compared to that of the Blade before me.

"I'll do it."

Through the secret passage the assassin had used was a room that led to the sewers, it was also connected to the previous room with the locked gate, obviously part of the trap they set. The sewers were a familiar part of the Imperial City to me, they were a great way to get around and avoid guards while on a thieving spree, but this part of the sewers hadn't been touched in ages much like the ruins I had previously exited.

The rancid smell, giant rats, and ankle pinching mudcrabs were the few things that reminded me of the normal city sewers. There were goblins down here too, I was able to catch most of the off guard and take them down with a simple arrow to the back of the head. How they got down here in the first place was beyond me.

Soon enough the gate to the exit was in view, midday sun pouring in through the bars and a fresh breeze softly blowing in. I couldn't get out fast enough, fresh air filling my lungs and my nose happier to be cleansed of the foul odors that previously assaulted it. I knew exactly where I was, right behind the prison district near Lake Rumare, and the Ayleid ruins of Vilverin just a short swim away. The water was refreshingly cool, and I splashed it all over my face and scrubbed at the grime and blood with my fingers and palms. I felt the pocket of my worn leather armor, which I found in the ruins, to make sure the Amulet of Kings was still there before making my way back home.

Since it was noon that meant that Hieronymus Lex would be eating his lunch in the Temple District and wouldn't be around to bother me, and hopefully the other guards wouldn't either. The Waterfront was just as I left it, and I was greeted by Puny Ancus, the local beggar and one of my closest friends.

"I thought you was in the prison, Al, someone pay your fine?" He asked with his usual warm smile.

"Yeah," I lied, "costed quite a bit. Have you seen Methredel?"

"I think she's at the Bloated Float fer lunch."

I thanked him and took my leave for the Bloated Float, one of our usual hang out spots. It was a small ship that an Altmer gentleman named Ormil had turned into a restaurant, it was mostly occupied by dockworkers, pirates, and other Waterfront dwellers. Methredel was seated in the corner, sipping on mead as she stared out the window. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw me approach, and her rosey lips curled into a shy smile. She was wearing a dress today rather than her usual leather armor, it was a dark olive color and hugged her curves beautifully.

"You got out of jail, didn't escape did you?" She teased.

"No, no. Look I need to talk to you, can we go somewhere more private?"

"Is something wrong?"

"I can't tell you, not here anyway."

She finally obliged and we wandered to the small cemetary a short distance away. There were five gravestones side by side, their stone faces cracked, aged and unreadable. Two of the stones were broken to pieces, and the dry grass surrounding the graves was almost as tall as the stones themselves. We sat under the tree nearby for shelter from the summer sun that mercilessly beat down upon the City, when I knew the coast was clear I began to tell her everything. I started with my false arrest, then how Uriel came to my cell to escape his attackers, and then how we were seperated for a while until crossing paths again. I mentioned the things he told me about the stars and fate, and then I finished with his fate and how the young Blade had waited behind. She was silent for a few moments, her gaze was downwards towards her lap, obviously unsure of what to say to such events.

"I... Um... Well..." She started.

"You don't believe me, I don't exactly blame ya." I said with a sigh.

"I do. I do believe you, it's just, how could that happen? Do you think it was the... ya know... Dark Brotherhood?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I have to go to Chorrol and find this man and tell him what happened and give him the amulet." I said as I slid it out of my pocket slightly, the gems shimmering in the small beams of sunlight that peered through the branches above.

"You're actually going? Let me come with you!"

"What? No!" I nearly shouted. "You can't, I don't want something bad to happen to you."

"What if something bad happens to you?"

"I'll be fine, I promise. I just wanted to tell you, to see you before I leave Methredel."

"Alvin..." She said softly.

I couldn't help but glance at her lips, full and plump and painted a reddish color, I quickly looked away.

"I'm sorry but I need to get going. I just have to grab some stuff from my home first." I turned to head to my shack, which was right next to Armand Christophe's, one of the Thieves Guild leaders, and that's when I turned and added. "Also, please don't tell Armand. If he asks about just lie and say I went to Bruma to see Ongar so I could sell some goods. I'll be back soon. I promise."

"I won't tell, Alvin. Shadow hide you."

After packing a few things, adjusting my headband, I was ready to go to Chorrol. I walked along the outskirts of the Imperial City to avoid running into a certain Watch Captain and to avoid drawing any attention to myself. Chorrol wasn't so far away, though the way the sun beat down on me made it seem so much farther, I was light headed and practically drenched in sweat by the time I made it to Weye on the outskirts of the City. I kept walking, thinking of the Amulet still in my pocket the whole time, the sooner I got to Jauffre the better.

After an hour of walking I came across a khajiit on the side of the road trying to fix his broken wagon wheel. Despite the smouldering heat he was wearing a long sleeved tunic and pants, and also wore a hood that covered his face, and he was also under a large parasol for shade as well. When I approached him to assist he wouldn't even look in my direction, he simply asked me to hand him various tools from his toolbox nearby. Twenty minutes or so later, his wagon wheel was fixed.

"I thank you for your kindness, stranger. What is your name?" He asked as he began to put his tools away.

"My name is Alvin, sir. As for you?"

"I am S'Rassa. Nice to meet you." He said with a smile as he turned to me, allowing me to see his face at last. His fur was dark brown, with framed his pale red colored feline eyes, however his eyes was not what scared me, it was his long fangs that protruded past his lips and dark mustache that made me back away in fear. His fanged smile only grew bigger and he began to chuckle, and when I finally fled I heard his chuckles turn into wild laughter.

The horrific incident was soon behind me once I stood outside the door to Weynon Priory. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, and shortly after a man with short hair and long brown monk's robes answered.

"What brings you here, child?" He asked softly.

"I need to see a man named, Jauffre sir." I said as politly as my exhausted state could muster.

"Come inside, he's right upstairs to the right at his desk." He said as he allowed me enterence, and I thanked him and ascended the stairs to find an older balding man in the same robes reading at his desk. He looked up as soon as I approached and I took the amulet out of my pocket and placed it on his desk in front of him.

"The Amulet of Kings? How did you get this? Who are you and what is going on?" He demanded, his brows knitted together in anger. So then I told the same story I told Methredel, and I told him the Emperor's last words and what Baurus said. Hearing Baurus's name and about the heir seemed to calm him and proved my story was legitimate, and he was silent for a moment afterwards and held the amulet in the palm of his hand.

"Uriel's illegitimate heir now lives in the city of Kvatch, blissfully unaware that he is the Emperor's last living son. His name is Martin, and when he was born, Uriel called me to his chambers and gave me a baby boy lying asleep in a basket and asked me to deliver him somewhere safe. Although he would not tell me any more about the child, I knew it was his son, and when he would sometimes ask about how the child was I knew I was right."

"Where in Kvatch?"

"He is currently a priest at the Chapel of Akatosh, I'm sure that is where he would be found."

"I'll find him and bring him back here." I said boldly, and Jauffre, though still suspicious of me, agreed it would be a good idea. I'm still not sure why I agreed to go without being asked or provoked otherwise, perhaps it was fate pushing me in the right direction, but regardless someone had to get him. I had expected that I would just walk into the city and find him and bring him back to Weynon Priory, sounds simple right? Little did I know that my trip to Kvatch that day would be anything but simple.


	3. Chapter 3

The nightmares still plague me to this day. The sight of the wounded, the dying and the already dead surrounded by other survivors at the bottom of the winding hill. Thier tears, screams, and overall agony rings in my ears. The smell... it was the worst part, the stench carried on the wind with the smoke that filled the red sky above Kvatch.

"All hope is lost and the Nine have turned thier backs on us..." muttered an elderly priest in filthy robes.

"Please sir, where is the priest named Martin? I beg you, please tell me!" I nearly shouted in my own panic.

"He may still be in the chapel, if he is alive at all." The hopeless man muttered once more before I dashed up the hill towards the destruction on foot, as my borrowed horse refused to go any farther. My eyes watered and I felt my stomach churn as I drew closer to the city, but I never stopped moving.

"Stop! Go back to the camp it's too dangerous here!" Yelled one of the guards, as soon as he saw me approach, he and two other men were behind large wooden barricades with their weapons drawn. His warning was ignored entirely as my jaw dropped at the sight of the giant, menacing, firey portal. It was as tall as the city walls, and every few minutes short creatures would spawn from it's depths, they squeaked and schreeched as the charged towards the men, only to be quickly shot down by the last surviving archer.

Even just the mere thought of thier appearance sparks anger within me. Their gaunt faces with glowing red eyes and thier mouthful of jagged teeth, with yellow skin above thier waist and thick brown fur below which covered their bodies much like pants would. The needle like claws that protruded from the tips of thier long bony fingers was by far the worst thing about them, I still have small faded scars on my arms from those claws.

"I said go back!" The man hollered once more.

"What happened here?" I called out.

"The whole damn city got destroyed, that's what happened! The whole place was surrounded by those gates to Oblivion, now just the one remains and my men are in there now trying to close it." He growled as he gestured to the blight upon Tamriel.

"I want to help."

And so I did.

The realm of Oblivion beyond the portal is a sight I will never forget, and one I never expected to see more than once. I began to sweat almost the instant I entered the realm, my palms practically dripping as I grabbed for my bow to defend myself against what few scamps were waiting on the other side. Another man was there, an Imperial clad in bloodied Kvatch armor, and he fought alongside me until all was clear.

"Thank the Nine! I never thought to see another friendly face in this hell!" He said frantically. "The others were taken to the tower, I got away but the others are still trapped! We must save them!"

"Alright, lead the way I'm right behind you."

The landscape was covered in jagged rocks and boulders, with rivers of boiling lava that led to a volcanic sea. Ilend Vonius, the Imperial guard, had calmed down some and told me about some of the things he had observed as he escaped the tower.

"Do you see those gnarled roots over there? They'll lash out at you like whips if you get to close. And those yellow plants nearby, that look similar to flowers, those emit a poisonous gas."

"What about the red grass?" I asked as we crept passed.

"Harmless. See that pillar atop the hill?"

"Yes. I am going to guess it is not harmless?"

"Not at all, the top detects motion and spews fireballs. Along with the mines surrounding it."

The ebony tower was much taller up close, rivaled only by the White-Gold tower of the Imperial City. It's interior crimson, like the blood that stained the steps to the enterance. A pillar of fire that reached the top of the tower thrived in the center of the crimson floor and was surrounded by jagged black fencing.

Level after level we fought our way to the top, hordes of scamps and daedra fell before us, never knowing what hit them due to our stealthy approach. Room after room we did find more of the guards, but it was too late to save them, until we found an elderly Imperial man named Menien Goneld. He was trapped within a bloodied cage made of bones with a large Dremora guard lurking nearby.

"Perish mortals!" The creature bellowed as we approached, but it was the one to perish.

"Menien, you're still alive, thank the-"

"No time to talk! Just listen!" Menien quickly spat through the bars of the cage. "You need to get to the top of the tower, to the Sigil keep, and remove the Sigil stone because once it's removed the portal will closed and everything will be back to normal!"

"You're sure?" Ilend asked.

"Yes, I heard the bastards talking about it when they thought I was unconcious from the beatings. The one you just killed has the key to the top, get the key and get moving! Don't worry about me!"

With the key in hand and Menien's instructions still fresh in our minds we pressed on, the door to the final floor opened with ease and we were inside. The sigil stone was in sight, but we weren't alone.

"I'll distract them you grab the stone!" Ilend shouted, and I bolted towards the suspended pedistal which held the stone above the tower of flames. My hands carefully reached out intent on gripping it's sides, my fingertips had just lightly grazed the stone enough so that I could feel it's warmth, when I was struck down behind by a daedra.

"Alvin!" I heard the Imperial shout over the cruel laughter from the monster that stood over me, he was still defending himself from two daedra that were clad with swords and shields like he was.

My hand tried to grasp for my bow and arrows which had been knocked off of my back as I fell, only to have his steel foot stomp down onto my hand as more laughter filled the air. He gripped me by my leather armor and lifted me slightly off the ground, only to mercilessly slam me against the ground. Now I was on my back, staring up at him as he released me and held me in place with his foot pressed against my chest, and battle axe being slowly raised above his head to deliver the final blow.

A memory popped into my head, one that had been so painful and I was reminded of everytime I saw my palms. I was only ten years old at the time and was still living at the orphanage in the Imperial City, I had ran off in the night and had witnessed a pair of drunk mages illegally practicing destruction magic. They were in a dark alley of the Market District and offered to show me a few "tricks" since I was so interested.

"Kinsman, you have the ablility in you, just gotta wake it up and practice it" The Dunmer mage slurred. He and his Bosmer companion went over the steps with me and I was able to to make a small ball of fire in my hands.

"There ya go!" They cheered.

I was so excited about my newly found abilities that the next day at recess I showed them off, I wasn't careful enough and burned the palms of my hands, I got a pair of nasty scars and a thrashing that night. I never attempted any form of magic again, and even hated the local mages because of the incident.

The sudden memory sparked something inside of me, and steps I had learned were fresh in my mind. I concentrated, focused, and this time I was successful. I pointed my palms forward and shot forth flames, the daedra fell backwards engulfed in flames.

More flames errupted from my palms, all three of our attackers now curled up on the ground dead and burning. Ilend followed me to the pedastel, and like before I carefully reached out and gripped the stone orb, it's warmth caressed my palms, scars and all. I took a few steps back with the stone in my hands, now fully removed, and the tower around us began to violently shake and rubble fell from the walls and ceiling. As we paniced a bright light consumed us, and when it faded we were back in front of the walls of Kvatch. Then I blacked out.


End file.
